Mitsubishi MU-300 accident near Carlsbad, California, February 8, 1986
On February 8, 1986 at about 5:34 pm local time, a Mitsubishi MU-300, registered N14DM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Carlsbad, California (Carlsbad-Palomar airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 1986 · about 5:34 pm local time
- Place
- Carlsbad, California · Carlsbad-Palomar · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mitsubishi MU-300 · all MU-300s on the register
- Registration
- N14DM · no longer on the register · serial A017SA
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT RAN OFF THE END OF RWY 24 AT THE MCCLELLEN-PALOMAR ARPT. LIGHT RAIN WAS REPORTED AT THE TIME AND THE WINDS WERE REPORTED TO THE PLTS AS BEING FROM 340 DEGS AT 10 KTS. THE RWY IS CONSTRUCTED OF A POROUS FRICTION COURSE (PFC) MATERIAL WHICH PROVIDES GOOD BRAKING ACTION AND A HYDROPLANE RESISTANT SURFACE. WITNESSES STATED THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN LONG AND FAST. THE PLTS STATED THEY TOUCHED DOWN 'A LITTLE LONG' AND THE BRAKED FAILED AS THEY NEARED THE END OF THE RWY. TESTS ON THE BRAKE AND HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS INDICATED THEY OPERATED SATISFACTORILY WITH NO FAILURES NOTED. THE PLTS STATED THEY DID NOT UTILIZE THE EMERGENCY BRAKES AND DID NOT STATE WHY THEY DIDN'T. THE PLT STATED THAT THE LANDING DATA COMPUTED WAS FOR A 10 KT HEADWIND COMPONENT ON A DRY RWY.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,327 hours in all; 593 in this make and model; 105 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,123 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 19, 1985; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 13,890 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT15D-4 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Santa Monica CA at 5:07 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 4,700 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft; not recorded at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:46 pm from CRQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX86LA118.